


Connection

by Klance_Convert



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Crushes, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Lesbian OC, Lesbian Pidge, Olkari, Pidge is easily flustered, Post-Season/Series 02, but Shiro's still there, cheek kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 09:43:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10533903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klance_Convert/pseuds/Klance_Convert
Summary: Pidge found her gaze locked on the young Olkari. She seemed to be the same age as Pidge, though age was a difficult thing to compare with aliens that had lifetimes thrice as long as humans. Luta had softer features than her grandmother, gentle curves in her face. Her smile was cheerful, and her eyes smiled with her. Pidge wasn’t Lance- far from it- but she had eyes, and she’d be lying if she said the Olkari wasn’t pretty. Just a small fact. No big deal.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I took a small break from my multi chapter fic [Prismatic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9482843/chapters/21457055) in order to bring this piece in honor of Pidge's birthday! This is an idea I had stirring around in my mind for awhile, and I'm excited to finally share it with you. So without further ado, enjoy the story.

Pidge fidgeted nervously as the landscape of Olkarion came into view from the command center of the Castle. Its enormous forests and peaked mountains formed the planet’s profile against the backdrop of space. Soon the Olkari’s city, too, was visible from the ship. She would admit, she’d been dying to return to the planet since their last visit. She wanted to see Ryner and the city again. There was so much she could learn from the Olkari woman, who had taken over as queen after King Lubos had been exiled for treason. Plus, their last visit hadn’t really left a lot of time for sightseeing. So when Allura announced they were returning to the planet she’d been ecstatic.

Now Pidge was mostly impatient. She paced back and forth, moving about the command center to get a better view of Olkarion. 

“Someone’s excited,” Shiro teased lightly.

“I wanna get down there!” she replied, no use in hiding it, “Allura, can’t this thing go any faster?”

“Have patience, Pidge,” Allura answered, “We’ll be landing in a few tics.”

Pidge huffed and continued her pacing. The city was much closer now, enough to make out individual buildings, tall, smoky skyscrapers laced with the green glow of Olkarion electricity. She pressed her face up against the glass, jittery with excitement.

The Castle slowed its descent, sending up a cloud of dust. She felt as the legs of the ship touched down. She was grinning. Elated, she ran for the entrance, slamming the button to release the hatch for the ramp.

The rest of the paladins came up behind her, followed by Allura and Coran. “Geez, Pidge, slow down,” Hunk complained.

“No!” she retorted, “You can get this giddy the next time we go to the Balmera and visit Shay.” 

The remark left a tinge of blush on Hunk’s cheeks, and Pidge turned back, not bothering to hide her smugness. She dropped the look, however, when she noticed the alien woman standing just off the landing platform.

“Ryner!” she called, running towards the Olkari queen. Upon reaching her, she threw her arms around her. The queen accepted the embrace, though it was difficult to return, being two heads taller than the green paladin.

Pidge pulled back, scratching her head. “Sorry about that,” Pidge said, “I’m just happy to see you again.”

“Don’t worry Pidge,” Ryner replied, “It’s good to see you too.” She turned to the rest of the paladins, who had joined them, “As well as all of you. It is good to see you during times of peace.”

“As peaceful as things are when you’re defenders of the universe,” Keith mentioned.

Ryner nodded wryly. “Yes, I suppose so. But now is not the time for grim thoughts. You are here as guests. Come, let me show you our city.”

The Olkari queen led the paladins and Alteans down the street and into the city. She pointed to each of the buildings, explaining the purposes of each of them. 

“Neurosculpting is the greatest ability of the Olkari, meaning many of our buildings were formed in a matter of days. Because of this, it takes little time to expand outward,” she mentioned.

“What happened to the forest city?” Pidge asked her.

Ryner replied, “After driving out the Galra we moved back into the city, but we still return to the forest often for resources.”

“What is the structure of your society?” Shiro inquired, “How do people make a living? How are roles determined? Is there any schooling for kids?”

“Most citizens have two roles they must choose, a career and a service,” Ryner described. “Your career is your chosen profession, your livelihood. Your service is how you choose to give back to our society. For example, you may become a soldier, a volunteer, or a scientist working under the king or queen.

“Our youth begin schooling at a young age, where they are taught simple mathematics, basic literacy skills, early history, and so forth. As you get older, students may choose more specific classes focused towards your interests, similar, as I’ve heard, to what you humans have. Services are chosen depending on the student’s age. If they choose to become a soldier along with their career, they start in their early adolescence, much like Pidge here.”

They entered one of the buildings. In the halls, panels of glass allowed easy viewing into the rooms inside. Most of the rooms held Olkari students being lectured by the teacher, while some of the other rooms held sparring practice or weapon lessons.

“Since the control and extermination of the Galra, many of our youth have chosen to become soldiers,” Ryner continued. “It’s a good thing too. We are a peaceful species, which means we were unprepared when we were attacked. Many Olkari had to adapt quickly in order to survive. I will not let my people be put in that circumstance again.”

“Voltron will come to your defense if the Galra ever try to return,” Allura added. 

“I hope I never have to see the day,” Ryner answered, face grim. Then her face brightened. “But now is a time of celebration. The Olkari wish to thank you for your sacrifice in driving the Galra from our planet.”

Pidge’s shoulders sagged. She had hoped to continue their exploration, short as it was. There was still so much to see. She understood the purpose of the celebration, but she hated the diplomatic stuff. All it meant was standing around with a bunch of strangers for a few vargas. It wasn’t her forte. And she couldn’t help but let her thoughts drift not into the city, but out to the forest, where they had first met Ryner and the Olkari. Truth be told, she had enjoyed exploring the forest, and she supposed that nature was kind of cool. Especially since there were so many creations she hadn’t gotten to see.

“Ryner,” Pidge hesitated, “there isn’t any chance I could go back to the forest, is there?”

“Pidge, we can’t refuse the Olkari’s hospitality,” Shiro gently chided her.

Ryner waved Shiro off. “No need. I’m glad to see you’ve taken an interest in the connection between nature and technology. Who am I to discourage that? Besides,” she continued, “I was never one for all the diplomatic parties anyway.”

“Really?” Pidge asked.

“Of course. But sadly I cannot join you. Becoming a queen means certain responsibilities. However, I’m sure my granddaughter would be happy to show you around.” Ryner pressed a small button on an intercom directed into the classroom. “Karatash, Ryner, requesting Karatash, Luta.”

Although Pidge couldn’t hear the noises of the classroom, she noticed the heads of young Olkari students perk up at the announcement. One of the students, whom she couldn't see very well, stood up, gathered her bags, waved to the professor, and left the classroom. Pidge was almost startled at the sound of the door sliding open with a hydraulic hiss.

“Pidge,” Ryner started, “This is Luta, my daughter’s daughter. Luta, this is Pidge, the green paladin. You’ll be showing her around the forest.”

Pidge found her gaze locked on the young Olkari. She seemed to be the same age as Pidge, though age was a difficult thing to compare with aliens that had lifetimes thrice as long as humans. Luta had softer features than her grandmother, gentle curves in her face. Her smile was cheerful, and her eyes smiled with her. Pidge wasn’t Lance- far from it- but she had eyes, and she’d be lying if she said the Olkari wasn’t pretty. Just a small fact. No big deal.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Luta greeted. “I’ve heard so much about you from Ryner.”

Pidge forced herself out of her slight daze. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she stuttered out, “I haven’t really heard of you before, so, I mean, have you heard good things, I hope?”

Luta smiled, “I mean, only that you single handedly took out the cube and saved the entire planet. Word gets around here.”

“Eep,” was the only reply Pidge could manage. “I-I mean, not really, um... the others did stuff too, y-you know.”

“Aww, don’t be so modest!” she insisted, “Anyway, let’s get going to the forest. There’s so much to see, and I think you’ll be very excited about it.”

The Olkari gestured for Pidge to follow her, going down the hall and taking several turns. Pidge took a moment to clear her mind. “She’s a normal person, Pidge,” she told herself, “she’s pretty, but she’s a normal person. You can manage.”

“The hovercraft are kept in a hangar three floors down,” Luta continued, oblivious to the other girl’s inner struggle, “we’ll use one of those to get to the forest.”

“Wait,” Pidge paused for a moment. Luta looked at her curiously. “Do you, um, wanna take Green instead?”

Luta’s eyes widened. “Really?” she asked, “That’d be amazing! Here, the exit’s this way!”

“Um, okay then,” she replied, hiding a small grin. 

She followed the Olkari out of the building, running to catch up. They made their way back out of the city towards the Castle. Pidge motioned to Luta as they slowed. “You stay here,” she told her, “I’ll get Green.”

Through the ship, down the hall, and into the hangar she went. Green came to life as she sat in the cockpit. “Hey girl,” she murmured, “We’re going on a small adventure.” She took control of the lion, flying her from the hangar and out to the landing platform. Green let out a roar and her eyes glowed before settling down on the platform.

Opening the jaws of Green, Pidge stepped out to see Luta, standing in shock and awe. “Wow,” she said, almost wistfully, “she’s amazing.”

“She sure is,” Pidge answered. “Here, come inside.”

Luta followed her into the cockpit, her eyes darting around the Altean technology. “The lions are beautifully engineered,” she commented, “Actually, they are quite similar to that of Olkarion technology, in the sense that they have deep connections to nature, the green lion specifically.”

“Exactly!” Pidge agreed, excited now, “Ryner teaching me about the connection between nature and technology has really strengthened my bond with Green. The quintessence in me mirrors hers, which means the more I understand that relationship, the closer I get to her.”

“Well, you obviously have a deep bond,” Luta replied, “I can sense it, the way I can sense the nanocellulose of some of our weapons. That takes a lot of effort and understanding.” She paused at the gentle rumbling sound. “Is your lion purring?”

“I think she’s happy to meet you,” Pidge laughed. “Come on girl, let’s head to the forest!”

She directed Green upwards, who launched into the sky. Luta laughed joyously, and god, if that wasn’t the most pure sound Pidge had ever heard heard. She couldn’t help the wide smile stretching across her face. Luta caught her eye and winked, sending Pidge back into a blushing mess.

The two traveled for several minutes deep into the forest. Pidge used the time to ramble on about Green, her cannons, her invisibility shield, and many of the other hidden features she had discovered. Luta listened attentively, soaking in the words like they were a story. Pidge also used this to calm her nerves. The more she spoke to Luta the easier it was, especially when talking about one of her favorite things.

Soon Green descended to the forest floor by the direction of Luta. Pidge recognized the clearing from several spicolian movements ago. Green settled in the clearing gently, opening her jaws wide to allow Pidge and Luta to exit.

“So what do you wanna see first?” Luta asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Umm…,” Pidge hesitated.

“Oh, I know!” Luta’s eyes gleamed. “You wanna see something cool?”

“Uh, sure,” Pidge answered curiously. “What is it?”

“Not yet, it’s a surprise!” Luta chirped, “Come on!” she continued, grabbing Pidge’s hand and pulling her along.

She brought her away from the clearing and to a tree with a spiral staircase, leading up, and up, and up. Without breaking a sweat she ran up the stairs, sometimes two at a time. Pidge struggled to keep up, but managed, even while her mind could only focus on the fact they were holding hands.

At last Luta slowed her pace, stopping at an entrance into what looked like an entangled mass of metal and vines. But opening a door, Pidge could see it was so much more than that. Sunlight that managed to get past the canopy of the forest streamed in through a large skylight. Cluttered shelves held scrap metal next to plant clippings. Tools hung all over the walls on hooks made from cut branches. Leaves and petals lay mixed together with wires and bulbs. All of this in the cozy nook of branches and steel.

“Wow,” Pidge breathed, “This is… amazing. What is this place?”

“This is my workshop,” Luta smiled, “this is where I come to create. It’s my second home. Not a lot of people know about this, other than Ryner and my parents.” She dropped Pidge’s hand (much to her disappointment) and opened the curtain to a window overlooking the forest. 

“And you brought me up here?” Pidge wondered, “I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but we’re almost strangers. We just met! Why would you trust me enough to bring me here so soon?”

“I’m good at reading people,” she shrugged, “I guess I have a good feeling about you. You’re trustworthy, plus, you get this kind of thing.”

“And the others don’t?” Pidge asked.

“I’m not as social as some of the other Olkari,” she replied. “I like my personal space.”

“Now that I can relate to,” Pidge laughed, “Do you know how many times I have had to tell the others to keep out of my stuff? I really need to ask Coran for a personal workspace. They’ve learned by now to not mess with my computer, but they also always come in when I’m just about to make a breakthrough!” She laughed again, “Yeah, but they’re my second family, so I put up with them.”

Luta stared at her with very wide eyes. Pidge quieted, fidgeting. “What?”

“You’re pretty when you laugh,” Luta commented matter-of-factly. 

For the tenth time that day Pidge felt her face go red. 

“Are you okay?” Luta asked.

“Yeah, I’m fi-.” Pidge started, when she looked over and saw Luta containing a giggle. “You did that on purpose!” she shouted indignantly, only making her face more crimson.

Luta giggled some more. “Sorry, sorry,” she apologized. “I won’t do it again.” She looked back to her workspace, her demeanor surprisingly shy now. “Do you wanna make something? Together?”

Pidge cleared her throat and put on an air of bravado, “Sure! That’s sounds great!”

Sitting at the table built into the wall, Luta pulled out a small contraption, something with wings and eyes and legs.

“That’s one of the dragonfly bots I saw the last time I was here!” Pidge exclaimed, recognizing it.

“We call them amoltas,” Luta clarified, “but yes, these are used by the Olkari to keep watch in the forest, though less advanced ones are given to children as toys. I’m moving in the opposite direction, however. The basic versions only collect video footage and coordinates. This one I plan to design to have some of its own weaponry, in order to deal with minor attacks. One such idea is a vine cannon similar to that on Green, but I can’t seem to figure it out.”

Pidge studied the invention, turning it over to examine the different parts. “I think I can help you with that,” she said finally, “let’s get started.”

The two worked on the amoltas for a long time, each making tweaks and changes to the mechanism. They chatted while they worked, Pidge telling stories of Voltron and the battles they had won, while Luta spoke about her childhood in the forest. Pidge found herself more and more drawn to the Olkari the more they talked, but also not as nervous. In fact, she found her herself at ease around her. Luta understood her fascination with technology, and didn’t seem to zone out whenever Pidge tried to explain something to her. The other paladins tried to as well, but they didn’t see the appeal in most of it. They just cared if it did the job, not how it was done.

“And…,” Pidge drew out, using a pair of tweezers to place the final piece, “done!”

“Great!” Luta cheered, “Let’s test it!” 

Excited, Pidge turned on the amoltas, gently guiding it into the air. The mechanism came to life, humming gently. Pidge held a rock under the amoltas, waiting.

Luta took a deep breath. “Vine cannon, activate!” she spoke clearly.

The mechanism hummed louder, glowing teal, much like the cannon of the green lion, before shooting forth a stream of vines, entangling the rock.

“Yes!” Luta shouted, “It worked! It finally worked! Praise Lu-,” she slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide.

“Luta?” Pidge asked, “You okay?”

Luta’s eyes grew dark. “I’m fine, I-I’m fine,” she muttered, “I just need to not… make mistakes like that.”

“Hey,” Pidge looked at her softly, “like what?”

Luta slumped back into her chair. “Lubos,” she spoke bitterly, “is a traitor to our people. He willingly enslaved us, willingly worked with the Galra to destroy his own home! We praised him for decafeebs! And he was nothing but a coward.” She stared out the window. “I was even named in honor of him. Luta. At the time it meant a name that would bring me great strength and knowledge. Now it’s just a reminder of that villain. I hate that I have any connection with Lubos. I never want to be the leader he was.”

“Leader?” Pidge inquired.

“Yes. Ryner is my grandmother, and she is queen, so technically I am the future leader, after my mother. But I don’t feel like a leader. I just want to work on my inventions. I don’t know the first thing about leading a city! I feel like the name Luta is just a bad omen of my future.”

“Hey,” Pidge comforted her, “Don’t forget, you’re still a kid. You don’t have to worry about that for decafeebs. You’ve got plenty of time to learn and grow. Plus, you think I was prepared for being a paladin of Voltron? I had to learn as I went, which doesn’t give you a lot of time. I’m sure when the time comes, you’ll be great. And for the record, the name Luta is a million times better than the name Lubos.”

Luta gave a watery smile. “Thanks Pidge. Sorry, that must have seemed stupid.”

“Nah,” she brushed it off, “I get it. I didn’t want to be a paladin at first either. I just wanted to find my family. But just because you have responsibility doesn’t mean you can’t also have dreams.”

Just then her wrist beeped, indicating an incoming message. Answering it, Shiro popped up as a hologram. “Pidge, I hope you are having fun, but we have to leave soon. Meet us back at the castle in half a varga.”

Pidge sighed disappointedly. “Fine, we’ll be back soon.” She closed the holographic screen. “Guess we have to leave soon. Wow, I can’t believe the quintant is already over!”

“It’s too bad you have to go,” Luta frowned.

“Yeah, but I’m sure we’ll be back. Thanks for bringing me here, this was amazing” she replied. “You’re amazing,” she didn’t add, though she wanted to.

They took Green back to the city, landing next to the Castle. Pidge dropped off Luta before putting the lion back in her hanger and joining the rest of the crew.

“Did you enjoy exploring the forest, Pidge?” Ryner asked when she returned.

“Um..,” Pidge realized the only place she had seen was Luta’s workshop, “yeah. I’d like to visit it again, if that’s okay,” she finished, sliding her eyes over to the younger Olkari.

“Of course,” Luta piped up. “Anytime.”

“We will be keeping in touch,” Allura said to Ryner, “I believe there is still much we can learn from each other.”

Suddenly a lightbulb pinged off in Pidge’s mind. “Hey, wait a tic,” she said, rummaging around in her bag. She pulled out two Altean tablets, similar to the phone she had on Earth. “These are some Altean tablets that I reprogrammed so we can send messages to each other,” she explained to Luta, “I’ve been learning Altean, so this way, if you want, we can talk to each other, even from very far away.” She handed one of the tablets to her.

Luta smiled, a warm wide smile, and Pidge was pretty sure she was melting. “I love it,” Luta beamed, “Thank you.”

Without warning she leaned over, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Until we meet again,” she whispered as she drew back, a twinkle of mischief in her eye. Looking back over her shoulder one last time, she followed Ryner back into the city, leaving Pidge frozen and breathless.

The other paladins looked at her in shock. “Pidge, what was that?” Lance inquired.

“Did something happen between you and that girl?” Hunk asked. He gasped, “Are you two dating?”

“No!” Pidge insisted, the blush refusing to go away.

“Aww, Pidge has a girlfriend,” Lance teased. 

“I do not!” she objected.

“Everyone, let Pidge be,” Shiro interrupted, “Besides, we need to get back to work. Being paladins of Voltron doesn’t leave much time for rest.”

Pidge didn’t say anything as they boarded the Castle, or as the Castle took off, or as they left Olkarion’s atmosphere. She let her thoughts wander. The expanse of space passed her by, almost soothing in its emptiness. 

She was interrupted by a small ping that came from the tablet. A message had been sent. Luta.

She caught her breath as she opened the chat. A single message in Altean. “Hey.”

Pidge smiled and typed her response. Without hesitation, she hit send.

“Hey.”

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Pidge deserves romance, but the age discourse makes things tricky.
> 
> Me:...
> 
> Me: Let's give her an Olkari girlfriend!
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Kudos and comments are appreciated. Both detailed reviews and incoherent screaming are welcome.
> 
> Thank you to my betas, [Puckabrinaluver](http://puckabrinaluver.tumblr.com/) and [Dragonetteeye](http://dragonetteeye.tumblr.com/). You're wonderful friends, and I appreciate the support. Check them out on tumblr!
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: [@klance-convert](http://klance-convert.tumblr.com/)


End file.
